1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a microelectronic structure and method for forming the microelectronic structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a microelectronic structures (and methods) that includes a dielectric chamber in the vicinity of a device area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional microelectronic structures (and methods) have attempted to form dielectric chambers, but have yet to successfully manufacture these chambers. One conventional attempt involves removing sacrificial material and leaving behind pillars to form a support on a semiconductor chip. However, the resulting structure is very unstable because it cannot sustain any mechanical stresses. For example, the resulting structure cannot be further processed with a chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP) process without failing.
Further, such attempts at forming air dielectric chambers have not been compatible with existing packaging methods because the random removal of material weakens the wire interconnects such that they cannot withstand any physical impact during processing of the chip package. Therefore, these attempts only randomly remove dielectric substances and cannot be successfully used in today's manufacturing environment.
These conventional methods also tend to trap residual chemicals that may cause reduced yield and reliability. Additionally, the resulting structures are often very weak and cannot protect the metalization levels of a microchip.
Additionally, these conventional methods do not protect the active circuits and devices during the random removal of the dielectric material, especially when a wet chemical is involved.
Thus, these conventional methods of forming dielectric chambers have not found popular use within production methods.